UNRESPONSIVE!

UNRESPONSIVE!

1 Kings 18:21

21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord  be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Luke 7:31-32

31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

          The Hebrew word translated “answered” in First Kings is the word “anah” and it means “to heed or to respond.” Ahab had been called to a contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah would win overwhelmingly but when he asked the people why they limped along between two decisions they were frozen in indecision. They answered “not a word,” nobody even cleared their throat! They stood staring like a tree full of owls.

          Even Jesus had trouble getting a response out of his generation. His analogy was children at play. For some reason I get the mental image of Porky and the Our Gang kids in a dirt lot near their kid-built club house. Alfalfa suggests “let’s dance” but the rest say no. Then someone suggests that they play funeral home and this too is rejected. Nothing sparks their interest. Nothing causes them to respond. This is how Jesus described those in His day.

          Conflict has killed fewer preachers than unresponsiveness from his flock. Few other things matter if no one is inspired; if no decision is made regarding the truth that has been presented. Indecision delivers a killing blow to spirited preaching.

          What is it that so immobilizes people when they are called upon to choose between Baal and Jehovah? Either it is hard to release one’s grasp on Baal or it is hard to wholeheartedly reach out to God. In the face of overwhelming evidence the people could not and did not respond. Neither the evidence nor the way in which it was presented could be blamed. The blame belonged to those who should decide.

Josh 24:15

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Dear Lord, dislodge me from my indecision. Let me choose wisely and decisively to serve you alone. AMEN